Talent Forum
Summer Dance Intensive

July 5-15
M-W-F-S 9am-4
T-Th 9am-12:30


Featuring
Randy Duncan  *  Laura Wade *  Elijah Gibson  *  Lizzie McKenzie  *  Amy Rose *  Suave *  Joshua Blake Carter
Meaghan McHale  *  Garth Johnson  *  Kim Fletcher-Stibal  *  Catie Deitz-Griffith  *  Kathleen McCann
Lindsey Beebe  *  Cori Stanislaw-Dawson

Click Here to view Summer Dance Intensive Schedule

Meet our 2016 Summer Dance Intensive Staff

Instructor Bios

Randy Duncan, Jazz
Renowned choreographer and dancer Randy Louis Duncan was born on December 14, 1958 in Chicago, Illinois. Growing up and attending public schools on Chicago’s west side, Duncan’s career began at age fifteen with the Joseph Holmes Dance Theater. Duncan later began formal dance studies with Geraldine Johnson, followed by classes at the Sammy Dyer School of Theater, Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, and Illinois State University. Duncan credits Harriet Ross and Joseph Holmes with much of his inspiration.

Drawing upon ballet, jazz dance, and modern dance for his choreography, Duncan created works that have been performed by numerous dance companies including the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, River North Dance Company and Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago as well as companies in Seattle and Tel Aviv. In 1987, Duncan choreographed for the first all-African American cast of A Chorus Line. Duncan’s musical theater credits include Guys and Girls, Street Dreams, West Side Story, Carousel, Hello Dolly, and Don’t Bother Me I Can’t Cope. He has taught and judged dance competitions throughout North America, Europe and the Middle East. Duncan’s classes in jazz dance have taken him to Mexico, England, France, Amsterdam, and Israel.

Duncan has been a three-time recipient of Chicago’s prestigious Ruth Page Award for Outstanding Choreographer of the Year (1988, 1990, and 1992). In 1994, Duncan won the Jazz Dance World Congress Award. He regularly serves on panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council, Arts Midwest and the Illinois Arts Alliance. Other awards include the 1999 Artistic Achievement Award from the Chicago National Association of Dance Masters, and the 2000 Black Theater Alliance Award for Best Choreography.

An avid supporter of HIV/AIDS causes, Duncan has donated his time and choreography to Dance for Life, creating world premieres for Chicago’s largest dance benefit for HIV/AIDS. His television ballet, Urban Transfer, was produced and distributed nationwide by PBS-TV’s WTTW. Duncan’s first major motion picture by Paramount Pictures, Save the Last Dance, earned him a nomination for the American Choreography Award for dance on film.
Laura Wade, Ballet
"My class is a somatic approach to ballet – using physics and musicality to find the biggest, danciest movement."

Laura is originally from Toledo, OH, and has choreographed for advanced students at Northwestern University, Evanston School of Ballet, Ruth Page Foundation and Youth Performing Arts School. She was the artistic director for Akasha Dance Co. and is the present assistant artistic director at Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago. Other professional and teaching experience includes River North Dance Chicago, Visceral Dance Center, MoMing Dance and Arts Center and Stephens College.
Elijah Gibson, Street Jazz
Elijah Alhadji Gibson (San Diego, California) was introduced to the arts through tap dance at an early age while attending San Diego School for the Performing Arts. He later continued his dancer training at Sam Houston State University where he graduated with a B.F.A. in Performance and Choreography. In college, Elijah performed with Spectrum Dance Company, Raven Dance Project, and the City Dance Company of Houston. In September 1999, Elijah moved to Chicago to study as an apprentice with Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago. A year later he joined Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago’s first company and performed with the company for eight years. 

He has been on the teaching faculty of ACDFA, Jazz Dance World Congress, Dance Masters of Wisconsin, CNADM, and is a judge for Cathy Roe’s Ultimate Dance Competition circuit. He has had the pleasure of working with and performing works by Tony Powell, Christopher Huggins, Gus Giordano, Liz Imperio, Mia Michaels, Jon Lehrer, and Randy Duncan. In addition to teaching in the U.S., he has also had the opportunity to perform and teach abroad in countries such as Germany, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Latvia, and Mexico. Elijah’s work can be seen performed by many local Chicago companies as well as universities across the country. He is a sought-after teacher/choreographer/dancer in Chicago and its surrounding areas as well as throughout the U.S. He has been fortunate enough to dabble in every aspect of the arts from the main stage to commercials to motion pictures.  Elijah is currently on faculty at Shenandoah University.
Lizzie MacKenzie is the Artistic Director of Extensions Dance Company and founder of Extensions Dance Center. She enjoyed six years dancing and touring internationally with River North Dance Company following five years doing the same with Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago. She has most recently been seen dancing with Ron De Jesus Dance Company and Chicago Repertory Ballet, as well as continuing her work with various independent choreographers, Dance For Life and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The year 2012 marks her 13th season dancing under the direction of Harrison McEldowny with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in their annual “Welcome Yule” Christmas spectacular. She has worked closely with various choreographers, some of the most influential being Laurie Stallings, Sidra Bell, Harrison McEldowny, Kevin Iega Jeff, Robert Battle, Frank Chaves, Mia Michaels and Ron De Jesus. She has studied under Alexandra Wells and Amy Shullman at Springboard Danse Montreal, where she also had the opportunity to work with Coleman Lemieux Dance Company, performing the work of resident choreographer, James Kudelka.
Amy Rose has been on the faculty for the American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensives for the last twelve years and has been teaching in the Chicago area for ten years. She is currently a faculty member at three different local schools and at the Kenosha Academy of Dance in WI. She is also the ballet mistress for Ballet Theater of Illinois and has coached students for various competitions.  She trained at American Ballet Theatre School, the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Ruth Page Foundation School of Dance.

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Suave' , Hip Hop
Suave' is the past Choreographer of and dancer in Culture Shock Chicago, a professional hip-hop company based in Chicago, Illinois, and current Choreographer and Executive Director for Hip Hop ConnXion, a professional hip-hop company, based in Wheeling, Illinois. Suave' founded Hip Hop ConnXion in March of 1999. He also founded the sister troupe to Hip Hop ConnXion, Hip Hop Force in October of 2002, and an under 14 year old junior troupe, Future Force, in October 2003. I was lucky enough to capture the images of Suave' while he taught classes at one of our local dance studios, The On Broadway Dance Center, Home of The On Broadway Dancers.
Joshua Blake Carter, originally from Atlanta, GA, received his early dance training from the Cobb County Center for Excellence in the Performing Arts in Mableton, GA.  He continued his studies at the University of Arizona, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance cum laude as well as the Outstanding Senior Award from the School of Dance.  While living in Arizona, Joshua founded Dance in the RED – an evening of dance, music and art to benefit the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation.  With a continued interest in choreography, Joshua became a finalist in the Dance Under the Stars Choreography Festival in Palm Desert, CA, in 2008, the following year he was selected as the winner of Ballet Nouveau Colorado’s choreography competition, dancemakers2.0, and in 2013, The Ruth Page Foundation awarded Joshua the Producers’ Panel Prize for his work in Dance Chance: Redux 5.0.  Other commissions include:  Giordano II, DanceWorks Chicago, Missouri Contemporary Ballet, Nomi Dance Company, Artifact Dance Project, and Glendale Community College (Artist in Residence 2012).  Joshua is a member of the 2014 Ambassador Committee for Dance For Life Chicago.  He also serves as the Director to GDC’s second company, Giordano II, an organization of which he was a member in 2009.  Joshua is in his sixth season as a main company member with GDC.
Maeghan McHale, Contemporary Ballet
Maeghan McHale, named one of Dance Magazine's Top 25 to Watch in 2010, was born in Baltimore, MD.  She studied at the Baltimore School for the Arts where she performed works by David Parsons, David Grenke, and John Clifford.  She received a full scholarship to Dance Theatre of Harlem, where she performed with the Dancing Through Barriers Ensemble.  While in New York, Maeghan studied at Steps on Broadway and performed with Extended Dance Company, as well as off-Broadway under the direction of Tony award winner Hinton Battle.  She has also participated in the Jazz Dance World Congress, The Miss America Parade, and Dancers Responding to Aids Benefit.  In 2005 Maeghan received a full scholarship to GDS, and in 2006 became a performing apprentice.  2007 marked her first season with GDC, making this her eighth season.  Along with establishing herself as a well recognized dancer, she has grown as a teacher and choreographer.  Her work, "The Winner Is" was performed in Dance Chicago.  Her choreography was part of Youth America Grand Prix's "Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow" tour.  In May 2011 her choreography, "Angelica" was performed as part of Dancin' Downtown at the Joyce where it received the Performance Award.  And again in May 2013 her work "If" also won the Performance Award.  Both pieces were included in Summer Stage in NYC. In June 2014 Ms. McHale had the honor of being on the School Faculty of the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, MS teaching the Giordano Technique for two weeks.
Garth Johnson was born an artist. He grew up in the microscopic town of Hebron, IL, a town of 1,000 people on the border of Wisconsin and Illinois. He started dancing when he was six years old and is now going into his 3rd year at The Juilliard School. During his time at Juilliard he has harbored his love of creation and choreography by making dance. He is excited for Princeton's premier of Sleep, which he created in 2010 at Juilliard.


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Kim Fletcher-Stibal, Jazz
Kim Fletcher-Stibal has been dancing professionally for the past 20 years, having toured nationally and internationally with several dance companies, including Black Box Theatre, Dance Chicago Touring Company ("The Stars of Chicago"), LehrerDance, Koresh Dance Company, Philandanco, and Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago.  At Giordano's, Kim served as an Assistant Associate Director and principal dancer for 12 years.  Kim also danced for 6 years in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular as a Radio City Rockette.  Kim had the opportunity to work with any renowned choreographers, including Randy Duncan, Roni Koresh, Mia Michaels, Milton Myers, Davis Robertson, and the father of American Jazz dance, Gus Giordano.  Kim received her BFA in dance education from The University of Arts in Philadelphia, PA.  Kim combined her passion for dance with her love for teaching.  She has taught all over the world, including at universities and festivals in North America, Asia, South America and Europe.  Kim is inspired and energized by the development of young dancers.  She is committed to help each of her students reach their individual potential as a dancer.
Catie Deitz-Griffith, Pointe
Catie Deitz-Griffith began her training in Newton, New Jersey where she studied the Royal Academy of Dance and Vaganova Ballet techniques.   She furthered her training in New York City at the Joffrey Ballet School, Broadway Dance Center and Alvin Ailey American Dance Center.  


 In 1999 Catie moved to Chicago to study on scholarship at the Giordano Dance Center, joining Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago II, and in 2002 joined Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago where she remained a company member for 5 years.  During this time, Catie became the Tour Ballet Mistress for the company and also worked as an independent artist, dancing for Eddy Ocampo, Elijah Gibson and Jon Lehrer and has had the pleasure of working with choreographers such as Gus Giordano, Randy Duncan, Davis Robertson and Margo Sappington.  

Since moving to Chicago, Catie has taught at a number of local dance studios where her choreography has won numerous awards and given young dancers an opportunity to dance in Dance Chicago, Walt Disney World and many other local venues.  She is also currently on faculty for Inaside Chicago Dance as a company class instructor.  Catie has been teaching at Talent Forum since 2006 and is thrilled to now be the Director of Forum Dance Theater’s Second Company.
Kathleen McCann, Ballet
Referred to as Katie by her admiring students, Kathleen McCann is back for her sixth year as a valued ballet teacher at Talent Forum. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Arts Administration from Butler University's Dance Department and performed numerous solo and principal roles with their performance company. 

Kathleen danced for three years with the Kentucky Ballet Theatre in Lexington and two years as a member of Tyego Dance Project in Chicago.
Lindsey Beebe, Variations
Lindsey Beebe has her BFA in dance from Wichita State University. She has performed throughout the country as well as internationally. She arrived a year ago and is currently training in Chicago, but we've heard wonderful things about how she trains others. 

Lindsey has been teaching for 10 years and we are thrilled she will share her expertise in Ballet, Lyrical and MTV with our students.
Corinne Stanislaw Dawson, Pilates
Corinne Stanislaw Dawson took her first Pilates class at a college dance festival in 1992 while she was a student University of Iowa. After graduation, Corinne danced in shows for Carnival Cruise Lines and then returned to Chicago to study Pilates. She studied and got certified in the PhysicalMind Method of Pilates in 1997, and soon after, discovered Romana's Pilates and became an apprentice under Master Teacher Juanita Lopez. Corinne was certified by Romana Kryzowska in 1999 and has been teaching Classical Pilates at the best Pilates Studios and Health Clubs in Chicago ever since. In 2001, she helped build the Pilates Studio at Galter LifeCenter, at Swedish Covenant Hospital, and continues to teaches there today.